Casting Announced For Rose Theatre's SNOW GORILLA

This Christmas Rose Theatre Kingston and Bor Productions will come together to produce The Snow Gorilla. Circus and storytelling will merge to create a hugely entertaining spectacle for the whole family with a touching love story at its heart. The Snow Gorilla will preview from the 29 November. British actor Brian Blessed will be the voice of the snow gorilla.

Sunny always dreamed of running away with the circus, but he could never have imagined the extraordinary adventures that awaited him there. Captivated by the spectacular sights and sweet smells, Sunny finds an unlikely friend in The Mighty Gor and strives to win the heart of the Ring Mistress' beautiful daughter as he is embraced by this new, eccentric family of performers. But when he stumbles upon the circus' dark secret, a mysterious figure threatens Sunny's newfound happiness.

Cast will include Joanne Heywood (Grace & Favour), Lucy Hope-Borne (An Evening of Dirty Dancing), Ciaran Joyce (The Story of Tracy Beaker, Torchwood), Dominic Leeder (War Horse, West End) and Nicholas Maude (The Bodyguard, West End).

Jerry Gunn, Executive Producer at the Rose Theatre said "It quickly became clear that Steve Bor and the Rose shared a vision for a family Christmas spectacular in the Rose's auditorium; with its curved walls and high ceiling it is perfect for circus and aerial performance. We quickly realised this production would be a wonderful opportunity to collaborate on a spectacular and original family show this Christmas."

Rose Theatre Kingston is known for working with internationally renowned theatre companies and directors to create and present world class productions that are accessible to all. The Snow Gorilla will make full use of the theatre's beautiful circular auditorium to evoke a magical circus world for its audience to escape to this Christmas.

Bor Productions is a family run Production Company founded by Steve Bor in 1986. Bor will bring his expert knowledge of circus to the main stage where a vibrant mix of dancers, circus acts and musicians will blend with the actors to create a unique Christmas show for the whole family to enjoy.

The Snow Gorilla has been especially created for the Rose Theatre stage by the theatres creative team, adapting an original Bor concept. Steve Bor commented "After initial conversations with the Rose Theatre we soon began collaborating with actor/director Tudor Davies again to develop the initial idea. Tudor has a great reputation for writing brilliantly funny and heart-warming scripts particularly for pantomime productions."

The Snow Gorilla will run until the 5 January 2014 and tickets are on sale now. Casting will be announced later in the year. For more information on the show and the rest of the Rose Theatre Kingston season visitwww.rosetheatrekingston.org or call Box Office on 0844 4482 1556.